Hey guys. Here for your enjoyment and criticism is my EDC kit and GHB. There are parts of my EDC that I've posted before and parts I haven't. In the interest of having a well rounded post I'm going to add everything. My EDC bag is mostly full of the crap I lug around for work. This includes cables, a laptop, cable testers, notebooks, and some other boring crap. While I carry this stuff everyday I don't really consider it my "EDC" kit.

Here are the bags. My EDC bag is an older North Face HOTSHOT. I love this bag. It is probably the best backpack I've ever owned. My GHB is a MOLLE assault pack with a MOLLE waist pack attacked to the bottom and 2 canteen pouches on either side.

I could never understand why people carried spoons in there EDC kit until I put 2 MRE sides in my bag and then found myself wanting to eat them and not having a spoon. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way.

I'm always moving around for work going to different locations to trouble shoot issues. This kit (other than the head light) is meant to keep both of my phones charged up and ready to go. I was working on a weekend over the summer when we had some really bad storms come through the area. I was in the basement of an unfamiliar building by myself when the power went out. I didn't have to call for help but I did have to put on my head lamp and find my way out of there. Both my work phone and my smart phone were dying so it was nice to know that even with the power out I could still use the Solio to charge my phone(s). Having a portable charger and a wall charger might be a bit over kill but peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

GHB
From my home to where I work is a 32mi, mostly highway trip. So realistically this is a "sleep in the car if you get stranded" bag. Things would have to have gone pretty bad if I'm abandoning my car to walk home. We had a bad snow storm here a year or two ago and lots of people did actually abandon there cars on the highway and started to walk home. They were in traffic so long that their cars ran out of gas. My 30-45min drive took 3 hours and it took my buddy 14 hrs to get home. He had to sleep in his car. I keep a 40* Field and stream sleeping (not pictured) bag in the car in case I have to sleep in the car or at the office.

Attached to the bottom is a MOLLE waist pack containing a poncho liner. These waist packs are great. The straps tuck away nicely in the back making it a great pocket to add to a bigger pack. I love them so much have 2 others in Multicam. I can also fit the green bag from the MSS in one.

These WhirlPak bags are great for water collection. They are resealable so you can throw them in your bag while your tabs work their magic. I have water tabs I meant to add as I was going through this but I seemed to have misplaced them.

The reason I have so many different ways to start a fire is because my fire craft is in need of work. The kit is a bit over kill but this is my all purpose kit. This is what I reach for when I go into the bush.

Stove/cooking:

Why 2 different stoves? A lot of times I take the Esbit out for day hikes. This way if I forget to put it back in, I still have the Vargo.

Mikeyboy wrote:Ooooh Oooh How do you like that vargo wood stove? I have been considering getting one.

Very well made. Obviously Ti is great. It's a great lightweight, low bulk, piece of kit. It's very easy to load fuel into since one whole side opens up like a little door. I wish the top was a little wider but it's fine if you trying to boil in a canteen cup of some kind. My fire craft is lacking so I tend to reach for the Esbit stove more often.

majorhavoc wrote:Sorry, I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm suffering from 'BOB post fatigue' at the moment.

I will say that your kit looks better thought out than most.

haha It does seem like there was a flood of "my BOB/GHB" posts in the last few days. Thanks for the kind words bud.

Very nice, I like your kit a lot. Have much the same stuff in my bag EDC/GHB I like your organization thats where I'm lacking and I think I am going to have to find some of those sacks to organize.

Why the USGI canteens? to me they seem bulky and heavy and dont carry much water. I know you said its mostly a car bag, but having to walk 32mi with extra weight kinda sucks. Thats my only negative but I'm digging it.

JeeperCreeper wrote:I like huge dicks, Halfapint, so you are OK in my book.... hahaha

Spazzy wrote:Tell ya what... If Zombies attack and the world ends I'll hook tandem toddlers to a plow if it means I'll be able to eat...

I like canteens also compared to nalgenes for one reasonthe USGI cup. The USGI cup is bigger than most nalgene nesting cups. This makes it easier for heating water and/or food. If you get the nalgene brand canteen, it's no more heavy than a regular Nalgene bottle.

74- nice kit. I like USGI gear also. It's definitely not lightweight by any means, but it has stood up to the test of time. I have always been willing to sacrifice weight for gear that will hold up. Aside from the two canteens, do you carry any more water in your car?

IceMyst wrote:Very nice, I like your kit a lot. Have much the same stuff in my bag EDC/GHB I like your organization thats where I'm lacking and I think I am going to have to find some of those sacks to organize.

Why the USGI canteens? to me they seem bulky and heavy and dont carry much water. I know you said its mostly a car bag, but having to walk 32mi with extra weight kinda sucks. Thats my only negative but I'm digging it.

Thanks bud. The canteens really aren't that heavy and they carry the same amount of water as a normal Nalgene (more or less). I went with the GI canteens with this kit simply because they fit the best. Might as well use whats meant to be used right?

cap6888 wrote:I like canteens also compared to nalgenes for one reasonthe USGI cup. The USGI cup is bigger than most nalgene nesting cups. This makes it easier for heating water and/or food. If you get the nalgene brand canteen, it's no more heavy than a regular Nalgene bottle.

74- nice kit. I like USGI gear also. It's definitely not lightweight by any means, but it has stood up to the test of time. I have always been willing to sacrifice weight for gear that will hold up. Aside from the two canteens, do you carry any more water in your car?

No, I don't carry any more water in the car. I really should though since I've been known to tap into the canteens every now and then leaving them less full than I would like. I already don't keep them that full since I'm paranoid that they'll freeze and bust. Before I leave work I usually top off my Nalgene. If I had to, in turn, top off the canteens I would just use the water from it.

I actually really like the USGI cups I think they are bad ass they are big, hold a good amount of food/water and well... Battle tested?? haha once I get my bonus I will be getting a couple. Using it to hold my food in my EDC/GHB. Guess I just dont like the canteens (aesthetics??). Anywho i like your firebox lots of redundancy! Cant be to careful with fire!

JeeperCreeper wrote:I like huge dicks, Halfapint, so you are OK in my book.... hahaha

Spazzy wrote:Tell ya what... If Zombies attack and the world ends I'll hook tandem toddlers to a plow if it means I'll be able to eat...

bacpacjac wrote:How is that fire gel - saw it at the surplus store yesterday and wondered.

Thanks for the comments bud! That fire gel is....odd. But it works great. I wouldn't use it all the time though as it's kind of messy, the package doesn't re-seal, and burns for a while. It's my last chance fire starter. It's not something you want to take on a day hike and use to make a cup of coffee or something quick like that (in my opinion). More of something you would use to make meals for a few people or get a campfire going quickly. Comes in packs of 3 so you can have redundancy or add it to multiple kits. I've only ever lit it with a bic but as I sit here and type this I'm begining to wonder if a ferro would work.....might have to try that.

I remeber Snowmageddon 2010 very well. Fortunately I had enough sense to get on the road before rush hour. I surely would have froze to death on the beltway, seeing as how I was still just your average people back then and completely unprepared for any type of minor daily life-impacting inconvenience. Your bags look great and well thought out, BTW. Good to see another NOVA local on here. I don't think there's too many of us... certainly not enough for a ZS chapter.

NOVA_ops wrote:I remeber Snowmageddon 2010 very well. Fortunately I had enough sense to get on the road before rush hour. I surely would have froze to death on the beltway, seeing as how I was still just your average people back then and completely unprepared for any type of minor daily life-impacting inconvenience. Your bags look great and well thought out, BTW. Good to see another NOVA local on here. I don't think there's too many of us... certainly not enough for a ZS chapter.

Thanks for the kind words bud. There are a couple other NOVA guys on here.....which makes 4 (that I know of) including the two of us. I left work in Silver Spring, MD at 2:30 and didn't get home till around 6. What a miserable drive. I also wasn't very prepared at the time. I think watching people walking down the GW Parkway, in the snow, in suits, gave me the final push to start keeping gear in my car and start prepping in general.

Whackpack7 wrote:Sorry for my potato moment...is all of the stuff laid out on a Kif woobie or doobie? I see it's MC so I am assuming because I sure haven't been issued a MC poncho lately lol.

Nope. It's a standard GI poncho liner. It was in a small surplus store by my house. I had never seen one either so when I came across this one I snagged it up. They haven't had them in a while. I'm sure you could find one online somewhere. Try eBay.

Whackpack7 wrote:Sorry for my potato moment...is all of the stuff laid out on a Kif woobie or doobie? I see it's MC so I am assuming because I sure haven't been issued a MC poncho lately lol.

Nope. It's a standard GI poncho liner. It was in a small surplus store by my house. I had never seen one either so when I came across this one I snagged it up. They haven't had them in a while. I'm sure you could find one online somewhere. Try eBay.

Well that is pretty awesome then. I'll definitely have to look. Thanks!

Does your BOB at least have: water, basic tools, fire, food, first-aid kit, and shelter?
"When planning, prepare for the most likely, and then the most catastrophic."raptor wrote: Being a gun collector does not make you a prepper.the_alias wrote: Murph has all the diplomacy of a North Korean warhead, but -he has- a valid point

The North Face bag with my EDC + work gear + full water bottle weighs between 12-15lbs. The weight fluctuates slightly based on what I have to carry around for work.

As for my GHB (USGI bag) I'm not sure. I've never weighed it. I would imagine around a the same weight to be honest. Some times I use it for impromptu hikes and it feels about the same as my everyday EDC bag.